25 Contest of Champions
by redcloudedleopard
Summary: Same as the episode, except with Azula, Ozai, Attuma & Diablo as added spices to the dish! Please review!
1. Commencement

Not many knew how well read the Blue Dragon (Azula) was in Chinese medicine, for an age quite tender. In place of physiotherapy at the Presbyterian Hospital, even the doctors were impressed at her conviction that she could care for Johnny using traditional methods. This spared him a long stretch of time spent in the hospital wards he almost couldn't stand. The couple was now spoken of frequently in anything from the New York magazines to small talk. & they never held anything back from one another following the roller coaster of events these past weeks. They'd had one too many rifts to bear it any more. Azula had said this to keep Johnny's confidence level from dipping, "We ain't celebrities. We're just there to help."

They'd both been revising the kung fu moves Johnny had studied with her - a less discouraging form of physiotherapy, or treatment for that matter. She'd then treat him to a cup of miracle-working tea or soup. Mostly at night, if the muscle pains & remaining bruises from the mob attack were harsh on him, she'd apply the poultice of_san huang san_ to ease the agony. Secretly, that was a golden chance to watch how his eyes would capture the light, & give it back to her generously in the deep blue orbs.

For him to enjoy was her kindness & warmth freely radiated to him. He hadn't seen it this brilliantly before because of his pride; she'd been right about him dating her just to 'have a girlfriend', not resulting from any intrinsic qualities she possessed. Since she & Ozai rescued him from bleeding to death on the sidewalk, his old self yielded & fell away. Every time she showed her loving-kindness, coupled with her attractive complexion (which was obviously _every_moment they met) he would be moved or perhaps even riveted.

One morning he mulled over a thing she had told him, even in his sleep. **"Don't be afraid of ten thousands of people, that have set themselves against you on all sides,"**she read from the pages the night before. Then she had reassured him, & pecked him lightly on the forehead upon removing his last head bandage, "You always have me." He remembered her laugh when his dreamy smile almost killed her, & how she had to steady herself from blushing.

He woke up super dazed, rubbing his head to check for pain. There was no sharp feeling left at last; he yawned & stretched like a cat.

"BEN….." He looked down & realized his room was flooded...on purpose. It had to be none other than the one he pranked too often. Trudging through ankle deep water to his bathroom door & sliding it open, he didn't see the tsunami of rushing water coming. "Ahhhhhhhhhhhhh!" he went under the powerful current.

"Race you to the end!" shouted a huffing & puffing Sue. Azula was no nonsense in terms of celerity - while Sue jogged in her tracksuit down the hallway, the Blue Dragon whipped past her & leapt with the might of her agile nimble frame. Azula scaled whichever walls or ledges she could find to get ahead. However, they halted outside Johnny's room to inspect the puddles of water forming on the floor. Coincidentally the room door slid open to reveal a sight for sore eyes.

"_Where is he?"_snapped Johnny, floating out the room on a water wave with hair drenched & ruined.

"Oh, Johnny…I'm sorry," Sue began her chain of laughter so contagious it got to Azula in no time.

Johnny pouted, "My sister _&_ my girlfriend…real nice."

"We love you, Johnny," both girls said, echoing what his girl fans buried in the crowd always shouted. Just then they both signaled to each other cheekily & picked him up in a ginormous hug! Azula kissed him on the left cheek, & Sue did so on his right one. A neat package of a loving sibling's kiss & a girlfriend's kiss at the same time.

He struggled for breath, "Okay, you can love me…if I'm able to breathe…first…"

"Sorry," Azula guffawed some more & pet go. "Aw, come on. You pranked Ben a million times," muttered Sue. They helped him up on his feet again.

"Well, it's gonna be a million & one once I dry off…," concluded a grinning Johnny. Next, Azula kindly handed him her clean towel to wipe up. But he was admitted to the sight of her worried countenance. "Zed? What's wrong?" he questioned. "Those bones aren't healed fully." She was referring to his rib fractures. The doctor said they'd taken four weeks to mend themselves, & the same thing went for his broken left wrist. Moreover, she located a big bruise on his back that was recovering a little too slowly. He reached out to smooth her hair & pull her into his bear hug, "It's all good. I'll be fine."

There was more fun going on upstairs at the same time. "Do you think five gallons was too much?" Reed asked Ben, who put down the massive water container after pouring its contents down the pipes. Ozai had stood by to watch the fun unfold.

"Too much or not enough?" winked Ben.

"You know I don't approve of these _childish_ games."

Ben & Ozai looked at each other in alarm & back to Reed. "But it was your idea!" they uttered.

"That's your word against mine," Reed winked in return.

"_LET THE GAMES BEGIN,"_an outlandish voice rang clear from above. Not two seconds later the three disappeared in bright flashes.

They reappeared somewhere, with Sue, Azula & Johnny standing in line with them. "Umm, Reed? What just happened?" queried Sue. All six of them were high up on a platform that resembled some keyboard.

"We've been transported to what appears to be a game board."

Above them was a hovering figure about 7-feet tall, the Grandmaster, who remarked,_"The Contest of Champions is far more than a simple game, Reed Richards…you & your team have been challenged."_

"Challenged by who?" said Ben. He gazed upward to see a hooded, square-shouldered adversary appear beside the Grandmaster. "Ronan?"

Azula was displeased, "Him?"

Ben complained, "What are ya, a glutton for punishment? Didn't we just send you packing?"

The Accuser toughened up one of his fists, "Now you will all PAY! One by one, I will crush you in my hands, destroying you each in glorious combat & -"

"_Not exactly,"_ Grandmaster cleared his throat, _"The events will be selected from the minds of the contestants, & the Fantastic Four, Leopard X & Blue Dragon will be pitted against you & your team."_

"Events? TEAM? I did not agree to this!" thundered Ronan, almost in petulance.

"_No mere mortal makes the rules of the Contest. I DO."_

The gem on the Grandmaster's forehead gleamed & released beams of energy. "Could this get any worse?" whined Sue. Those beams had transported MORE baddies onto this game board. Standing in line with Ronan were Annihilus, Super Skrull, Mole Man, Attuma & Diablo.

This excited Azula, though, "Lighten up. It has to get better! Johnny needs this kinda training."

"YOU!" spat Annihilus in Johnny's direction. Super Skrull flamed on in his slowly bubbling rage. But Mole Man was having a hard time with the sunlight.

"I hope you're right," Reed said to Azula. Sue interrupted, "So, on a scale of one to ten, ten being the worse case scenario…"

"Ten."

Ozai teased, "Come on, Reed. Eight."

"What are you so happy about?" Ben asked Johnny.

He chirped, "Dude…you know what this is? This is like some kind of cosmic good guy/bad guy Olympics! This is gonna be awesome!"

"I hear you," Azula filled in. He smiled at her, delighted to finally have some serious action since he'd spent the last month resting at home & not joining his team on their assignments. (Fortunately there were no major attacks)

Ronan roared, "These…THESE are my teammates? The winged one is clearly insane, & the fat, ugly one…just look at him!"

"IT BURNS!" screamed Mole Man.

"_Hmmm…perhaps a substitution is in order."_

Grandmaster launched one more beam at Mole Man, conveying him back to his initial location - & replacing him with the Impossible Man.

"Tadda!" the little alien exclaimed. "Hi! It's me! What's this? A game?"

"Hey…," Johnny could wave his healed wrist swiftly.

"Impy! What took you so long to come back?" Azula high fived him as he frolicked around the six heroes. He squealed, "I wanna play!"

"Are we being punished for something?" Sue threw Reed a questioning glare. He slapped his forehead & didn't respond.

"Awww, guys…if it's punishment at all, this should be _fun_ anyway, right?" Ozai slipped on his helmet, now at the simple touch of a button on his armour. Reed wanted so badly to grin sarcastically, "Did you have more tea than you needed this morning, Ozai?"

"A _Poppupian_? No!" Ronan grew even more dissatisfied.

"_Your team roster is final, Accuser. Unless you'd prefer to forfeit."_

"No!" the Kree silenced himself.

Reed elongated his body to face the Grandmaster at close distance. "So, we can choose to forfeit…we're not being forced to play this game," he wished to clarify.

"_Of course not. You can leave the contest at any time."_

Sue grabbed the chance, "Great! Let's do tha -" But Reed had covered her lips & enquired, "& what happens when a team forfeits?"

"_They are erased from existence, of course. Along with their entire species."_

Leopard X chortled at Sue, "Told you so. Buckle up for battle."


	2. Exhibition Round

"What are the events? The rules? Is our safety guaranteed? Where is the Contest held? What happens to the losing team?" was a list of Reed's questions.

"Is there a trophy? Any prizes?" Johnny butted in. In bygone days, he had been far from this _hyper_.

"_The winner receives one wish, granted by the Elders. Anything the victor can imagine."_

Reed intelligently hinted to Ronan specifically, "Like the Kree Empire ruling the universe?"

"That would be an _excellent _start, human. The destruction of you & your friends is another option," the Accuser smiled darkly. Inwardly was he elated at the suggestion, especially after being denied leeway to have the rules his way.

"Sheesh…most people would just wish for a pony or something," came Ben's sarcasm. Azula sighed. "Or a bicycle."

"_Decide, Reed Richards. You lay…or you forfeit."_

"The Fantastic Four, Leopard X & Blue Dragon accept entry into the Contest."

First to be conveyed to another location was Sue. She was stranded on a random New York street in a moment. Gasping, she dodged a truck speeding in her direction. Furthermore, she had to put a field around a fast moving cab before it hit her.

"_Invisible Woman,"_ Grandmaster called, _"your first event is a Kree sport: the running of the borg hounds."_

"The_ what?" _she balked.

"_You're opponent: Annihilus." _The perpetually angry-looking beast appeared, & fixed his deadly eyes on her.

She questioned, "And…uhh…what's the goal of this event?"

"_Survive_."

"My hate for you & your _clan_ will not be put aside my some game…," Annihilus hissed, as if not bothered by the uninviting sight of the Kree animals creeping toward them. The creatures were particularly large, sapphire & golden in colour, resembling robotic lions that mastered the skill of litheness.

It was a race _&_ a game of life or death. Sue got onto one of her flying discs & sped toward the beam of light far ahead that signified the finish line. Annihilus attempted to kick her off course, to no avail. A borg hound threatened to pounce but it did not achieve the height to snap her up. Not long after that, an idea was ignited: Sue jumped off her platform as they neared the light beam - seeping into the white energy before her opponent could.

"_Thing, your first event is an insectoid sport: consumption."_

Impossible Man & Ben were met with platters spread out on two long tables. "Waitaminute…you want me to eat that? That ain't food! _I don't know what that is!_" shrieked Ben. He stared at the tentacle-like objects squirming about in each platter.

"_Do you forfeit?"_

"I can't believe I'm gonna do this."

Elsewhere, on a planet shrouded in green & purple terrain, Ozai confronted Attuma in their first 'd been beamed to Impy's home planet, & stood atop a large rocky structure untouched by the Poppupian aliens._ "Leopard X, you compete against Attuma in a Poppupian memory game." _In front of them, a holographic screen suddenly appeared with at least fifty square tiles. There were twenty-five pairs of matching images, & in about five seconds all the tiles flipped over. The contestants were to guess which tile was where.

Attuma said, "So, feline. We meet again. What say you if I take the upper hand in this Contest?"

"How do you know you will?" was all Leopard X replied with. The barbarian from Atlantis was unaware of Ozai's unmatched visual intelligence.

"_Human Torch, your event is Kree Disc Jousting. Your opponent: Super Skrull." _Though quick to end, the match was nothing short of high-octane.

"Oh yeah baby, this is what I'm talking about! Bring it on, Green!" Johnny yelled, voice travelling all over the huge cavern they were in. For a while the two sparred with their jousts; Kl'rt grew increasingly impatient. Johnny's tactic was to give him a wide berth before springing with his best move.

The Human Torch mixed his martial arts skills with extreme sports. A mid-air somersault provided him with height to strike Super Skrull in the back - hard enough to make the alien lose his balance & topple over.

"_Mr. Fantastic, you & Ronan will compete in the Skrull sport: Deception. Your goal: avoid detection."_

"Detection from what?" asked Reed. He had just noticed the whale-like monster he recognized from Atlantis, splashing by the dock he & Ronan stood on. It looked peckish. Immediately Reed shaped his figure into that of a pole, & placed himself in line with the other wooden ones. Ronan, though, yanked & hurled him high up while the sea beast reappeared out of the water. It opened its jaws: letting Reed fall right in.

"_Blue Dragon, you will participate in the Earth event of kickboxing. Your opponent: Diablo."_

She smirked & lightly commented, "Kickboxing? That's breezy enough for me." Around the boxing ring were onlookers who buzzed with energy, cheering with unintelligible sounds.

Her adversary prepared his four chalices to use to his advantage. On the other hand, Diablo had his own brand of confidence, "You forget, girl. I have control over the elements...not just fire, but also air, water & -"

"Like I never knew that, Pajama Party!" Azula made the first attack with a flame wave. However, the alchemist was ready with his air shield & blocked her move. This was half a magic show & half a classic kickboxing tournament; Diablo wasn't restrained from using his floating potions to create an arsenal of nasty attacks.

He tried blowing the Blue Dragon out of the ring with a strong gust but she timed it well to cling to the ring poles. Then she swung herself back in with azure streams spewing out of her mighty kick. Diablo hit the edge of the ring real hard, now semi-conscious.

Azula destroyed his chalices using her slashing flames following that - all except the one he used to command water. Unfortunately, he recited a spell very quickly, sending a mass of water smashing into her. He morphed the element into a rising whirlpool that flung her beyond the ring's perimeter. She landed upside down by the spectators in a heap of her wet, unkempt hair. "Great…"

"_The exhibition round has ended."_

Before long, all twelve competitors wound up back on the game board.

Reed said, "That explains why Ben, Azula & I are still here. We were lucky. Given the penalty for forfeiting, I can only imagine what happens when we lose."

"This is nuts, Stretch! What kind of contest is this?" his best friend let out some frustration.

Johnny teased mildly, "Maybe the kind where you get your tail kicked."

"I hear you. For the second time," a vexed Azula wringed the water out of her hair. Ben muffled some laughter.

Johnny twirled around, "Zed! You okay? -"

"It's cool. Impy, could you dry my hair, please?" she called the alien over. "Me? Really? Sure!" Impy jittered. Instantly he morphed into a large hairdryer to help her.

In another corner of the board, Kl'rt remarked on Ronan's motives, "You were a fool to petition the Grandmaster, Kree. He's an Elder of the universe; they play by their own rules."

"As do I, Skrull," the Accuser got defensive.

The remaining trio of baddies comprising Annihilus, Diablo & Attuma was actually engaged in a conversation:

"How will we crush them ALL? They thwart my plans to NO END!" spat Annihilus.

"Quiet, you monster. Have patience," Attuma was ticked off even at that.

"Patience is one thing…for another is your array of weapons," Diablo cackled quietly, fashioning another set of chalices out of thin air as if by a miraculous force.

Moments later, Grandmaster shone his bright light to alert them all, _"Let the elimination rounds begin."_


	3. Elimination

"_Charades."_

Reed & Impy were standing atop a plateau, probably somewhere near the Grand Canyon. With the Grandmaster observing from his stone seat, the two got busily engaged in crafting their bodies into shapes for their judge to identify. The contestant to form the most shapes would be the eventual victor.

"_The Atlantean game of Sea Dragon Racing."_

Ozai & Attuma were by the Atlantean palace gates. A pair of previously prepared sea dragons was on standby near them. The magnificent but intimidating creatures hissed a welcome greeting to each of them, & they grabbed the reins to mount them.

"An Atlantean game!" laughed Attuma to satisfy his pride. "My skill lies in this art, Leopard X. More than you'll ever know." Ozai just kept his mouth shut to concentrate on the race path laid ahead with bright corals. He'd done horses before, not the mythological _realities_ of sea dragons. Thankfully, his new armour was more lightweight, not to mention waterproof as long as it was intact.

A deep-sounding horn was blown to mark the start of the competition. Attuma's dragon could be easily steered, weaving about the underwater currents with fluidity. Leopard X kicked backward & inward at the dragon's body to push it on. The ride was getting pretty choppy; should the dragon fail to contain its temper, he might lag behind at too slow a rate to deserve a winning chance. The competitors raced through dim tunnels, sparkling blue city pathways & dunes along the seabed - following the striking coral tracks.

To Attuma's infinite surprise, Leopard X's tail was the additional 'limb' required to speed the sea creature up. With a powerful tail flick delivered to the dragon's right shoulder, the animal was alarmed to pick up the pace. Soon it overtook the other dragon & crossed the finish line in first place. Ozai heard Attuma's moans & groans expressing misfortune as they were conveyed back to the game board.

"_A Poppupian game: Hide & Seek."_

Sue was on the verge of being deadened by the incessant greetings of the Impy 'clones' around her.

"Nice to meet ya!"

"Can I help ya?"

"You're cute!"

Diablo HAD to be the seeker, & her minutes were of suspense & vexation, even a feeling of inferiority. The nutty alchemist would be patrolling every corner of the place with his magic acts up his sleeves.

She looked in the wrong direction, just as something rocky knocked her to the ground. Diablo cackled sharply; she saw that he was cupping the green Potion of Earth in one hand.

"_An insectoid game: herding."_

Azula had hands on her hips, "Come again?"

"_The goal of this sport is to trap together as many grubs as possible, with creative, full use of the contestants' abilities."_

She found it comical, "Herding bugs. In place of a sheepdog, that makes me a bug-" A ghastly sight held her gaze. Ronan & her mentally scanned the rocky Negative Zone terrain, where swarms of unattractive creepy crawlies were coming their way.

"_An Earth game: scooter racing."_

Ben was up against Super Skrull, equaling pure fun & games of punching, ramming & the adrenaline of a race. Besides, this wasn't an everyday attraction for the Central Park visitors too.

Along the straight path, the two tussled by shoving each other aside with their super strength. Super Skrull initially had the upper hand with Ben hot on his tail. But he wasn't master enough of himself to sense danger from behind…before he knew it, a giant uprooted tree landed on top of him. That erased the smug look off his face & replaced it with a hardened expression.

"Booyah!" cheered Ben, crossing into the portal at the end of the trail.

"Oh, come on! A Spelling Bee? That's a Skrull game?" Johnny rubbed his chin.

"_The Skrulls are excellent spellers," _Grandmaster cheerfully said_, "Annihilus…you're word is 'gregarious'."_

"Can you use that word in a sentence?" shrieked Annihilus.

"_No."_

Although infuriated, he proceeded, "G-R-E-G-"

Johnny pretended to be oblivious, then struck his opponent's behind with a fireball! The miracle? Grandmaster hadn't seen that happen.

"-aaaaaaaaaaa!" Annihilus howled.

"_Incorrect."_

"I see the little grubs take a liking to your fiery attacks," Ronan was guffawing away. In the Negative Zone, Azula's trust in her powers was unhappily deceived. Chewing at her suit were those little insectoids, who didn't mind the intense blue heat she radiated. Ronan next wanted to boast about the Kree Empire's scientific wonders.

"That's…not…the…POINT!" she snapped, who pelted the grubs with an explosive blast. The Accuser paid her no attention; he waved his weapon to generate a thick, fluid-like beam to encase most of the bugs. The rest of the critters were overwhelming her in a short period.

"_I…I don't know…You are eliminated!"_

Impy cocked his head in curiosity, while Reed changed back to his original shape, "It's a metaphasic dimensional adjuster! Everyone knows that!" Truth be told, there were only so many who recognized that scientific term. There couldn't be some sort of retry.

Above the game board, Reed, Sue, Azula, Attuma, Annihilus & Super Skrull found themselves suspended in mid-air stasis fields. The other six contestants reappeared below them.

Johnny was startled as he looked upwards, "What the? Sis, Zed? FLAME ON!" He dashed to free his three teammates, only an electric beam from Grandmaster's gem froze him painfully in place.

"_Your teammates have been eliminated, Human Torch. They belong to the Grandmaster now, for all eternity."_

"WHAT? I don't think so, pal. This game's over!" Ben charged forth. The same deadly beam travelled to meet him instead & stunned him dizzy.

"_THE CONTEST WILL NOT BE INTERRUPTED."_

"Shouldn't you be doing something, doc?" barked Johnny, lying helplessly.

Leopard X switched to Quad Mode, replying, "I'm sorry, Johnny. We need to play fair." Yet his insides felt tangled - that hardly happened.


	4. Approaching the Finals

_I may've been a little too descriptive regarding the Ozai & Azula events. Apologies if you think this is so. I intended to describe the best I could so you could picture it as part of the episode on air._

_

* * *

_

Ronan was poised to inform his superior that his efforts weren't fruitless, "Supreme Intelligence, your Accuser is on the verge of victory." A screen-like comm. device on his right wrist revealed the face of the Empire ruler.

"Silence, Ronan!" he boomed. "You have put the entire Kree empire at risk - by entering this contest. I will aid you. But if you should fail, your punishment will be severe." The Accuser's hopes seemed far from robbed.

"_The Thing versus Impossible Man."_

Ben thanked the heavens: a staring contest. Nobody could picture Impy passing through a single round of such a game. The Thing's eyes were solid globes that painstakingly bored into his opponent's; the poor Poppupian's eyes on the other hand, itched to rove about his surroundings along with his really twitchy body.

"YES! Sorry, kid…no one beats Ben Grimm in a staring contest!" Ben slammed down a fist. Impy was so unable to control himself that he blinked hard to stop the sweat drops from stinging. The little alien disappeared, & stayed trapped in a stasis field next to Annihilus.

"_Leopard X versus Diablo. The _taming_ of borg hounds."_

Scores of members of the Kree race rolled all kinds of sounds in their mouths, as they looked to the contestants as a source of mere entertainment. Once Ozai & the alchemist were transported to the colosseum, it roared with an out-of-this-world euphoria. Five borg hounds were released into the arena from their unlit chambers, crystalline eyes shimmering in the light.

Ozai was smart enough to give way to Diablo - who struck first at one of the admirable, sleek animals. He'd decided on the Potion of Fire, thus making a special flame whip he could use. Lashing out at the hound, the whip cracked…but left no burns or scratches on its metal plated frame. The creature was pounding the earth with defiant hooves.

Leopard X's turn came; he thrilled the onlookers by mounting another borg hound as it began to canter about wildly. It bucked & finally broke into a violent gallop whilst Ozai hung on for dear life. He was searching for a 'soft spot' on the metal of the animal's neck…but the frustrated hound rammed him into the perimeter of the arena with rapidity.

"My turn," Diablo uttered. He was in the middle of getting up, for another hound had just charged into him. His aged body couldn't muster enough physical endurance. Two of his chalices had gone missing - those containing the Earth & Water potions - possibly flung to the far end of the battlefield after he was attacked. The alchemist dragged himself on the sand to reach for the Air potion chalice: his last straw. A growling noise rumbled above him, followed by the opening & closing of metal fangs. Then some robotic snarling & slashing.

Ozai clawed at the same threatening hound's face with extra ferocity. His opponent turned to look at the pair of other animals readying themselves to pounce. Diablo found himself unable to speak, stirred inwardly by something foreign. The circumstances got exceedingly bad when Leopard X fell head over heels off the creature, the rubbery protective material of his neck now in its toothsome jaw grasp. Maybe the borg hound found that hard alloy wasn't its cup of tea. It rose on its heels & tossed its victim far out into the shocked crowd.

"_The match has resulted in a tie-breaker. Ben Grimm, Ozai Chen & Diablo of Earth advance to the final round. Should Ronan lose the next match, the Fantastic Four & their two affiliates automatically win."_

"Can you still use your powers?" Reed whispered over to Sue.

"Yes, I've tried. But I can't break the stasis field."

He concluded, "That's okay. I have a plan as a last resort, in case of trouble."

"Could we be in any more trouble?" her eyes widened.

It was time for Johnny's last event. He balled up one fist, "Come on, Grandmaster funk! Hit me with whatever weird game you got!" Azula's gaze was locked on him, wanting to see as much of him as she could before he vanished. Ronan let out low cackles, as if he saw it coming. Both of them were zapped away to a region covered only by wide ocean, & they stood on floating discs that separated them from the wet.

"Why did it have to be WATER?" screamed Johnny, still as stone.

"_The last event in the elimination round: Kree Water Ball. First contestant to score a hit wins."_

A curved piece of equipment appeared in the competitors' hands, meant to shape & hurl a waterball at his opponent in the hopes of knocking him cold. "What kind of sick game is this?" whined the Human Torch.

Ronan growled & threw a projectile his way. Johnny dodged it with sweet timing but almost fell victim to the water below. He flamed on to land back on his disc before trying the same move as his adversary. Ronan swerved to the side to evade the attack; the two battled it out with more misses than hits, until Johnny finally thought up a strategy. Attacking from a height would give him a better view of the area, so he rose up on the highest wave he found.

"Now!" he heard Ronan give an order, & a blasting sound followed. All of a sudden, a cold numbing current washed over him, nearly making his heart seize up. Terribly frozen & fragile he felt while he saved whatever air he had inside. Luckily he managed to resurface before his oxygen depleted. Another waterball hit him smack in the face to get him truly cross. But he was drained, tired & beaten.

"What was that? Ronan cheated or something!" he snapped at the Grandmaster when they returned. The Elder actually smiled & said no word. Johnny pointed his finger at him, "_Shenanigans_ man!"

"There's only one match left. The fate of the earth quite possibly rests on the outcome of one competition. Susan, I think now's the time," Reed alerted softly. Sue focused her mind on removing the gem from Grandmaster's forehead; that caused all the contestants to be freed form their stasis fields.

"Take down the Grandmaster!" Reed barked. However, the Elder stopped the group short with a mere hand flick.

"_While I admire your tenacity, human…I AM an Elder of the Universe. This contest will not be disturbed."_

Before long, everyone apart from the last four contestants was trapped again.

"_The final match begins. The Thing & Leopard X versus Ronan the Accuser & Diablo, in a tag team competition. The event is as the challenger requested: fair & honourable combat. The last side standing is the team that gains victory."_

Reed tensed up, "Ben?"

"Hey Stretch, how 'bout a little faith here? Don't worry. I've taken Ronan out before. I'll do it now - I'LL WIN."

"Now!" Ronan abruptly issued an order. A pool of light from a bright beam formed around him. With that, the Accuser's form was changing, sinews & muscles thickening to a monstrous extent. Still, Grandmaster did not take action. Reed's thoughts were being peppered by arising suspicions.

Ben was taken aback, "Oh, boy…"

Leopard X remained on all fours & decided, "Ronan's all yours. I'll work on thrashing the 'magician' before helping you out later." He crouched & hissed to spring at the alchemist.

"Sure, doc…provided I'm still standin' by that time," said Ben.


	5. End Twist

What happened was a source of uneasiness for Reed. "Grandmaster, Ronan is augmenting himself! Surely you'd -"

"_Silence, human. I alone decide the rules of this contest!" _The Elder simply watched Ben receive a thunderous blow to the chest. It could be said that Ronan was displaying clear symptoms of resentment.

But the man made of orange rock took the attack with tolerable ease, "You wanna make this more interestin'? Fine by me!" Ben body slammed his opponent with brute force & delivered a series of punches. The Accuser cackled, though, & swept him upward in a single clean uppercut. He dangerously neared the slippery edge of the games board, feeling reliance on nothing apart from pure chance to pull him back into the game terrain. The luck he had didn't breach its promise.

Not to say that Diablo's combat skills were inexorable, but the Grandmaster didn't lift a finger regarding the alchemist putting on his 'magic show' to tackle Leopard X. It wasn't mentioned but Grandmaster allowed him only one set of four chalices in this match. Ozai thought positive - it'd be fun using his beloved weapon, the _pericycle_ again at last after his suit's tedious repair works just to get that ability to function. Whipping up the deadly power of the Air potion, Diablo conjured up a feisty little twister in an attempt to catch his competitor off balance. In timing that held brilliancy - especially since Ozai was closer to snowy old age than anyone else in the Contest - he cartwheeled sideways. Out of the blue, a forgotten pain seared one of his shoulders at the joint.

He hadn't used his laser beams on the alchemist yet; thus he fired at the Air potion chalice to split it in half. Diablo was too cross to speak. & too fast in addition. Water was actually quite dangerous when utilized by him because it could slice hard objects if the move as executed with precision & speed. Ozai hobbled a little, slowed by the sharp sensation in his shoulder. His vision was blurring.

Next Ben lurched forward at top speed, only to fall on his chin after being flipped over. Another big shove sent him sliding across the board, yet he ran as though he was untamable. The Kree packed one more punch of seismic proportions. Although…in Ronan's act of bulging up (not to mention his pursuit of accomplishments for his 'golden glory') he missed out on attention to his clumsiness that would result. "Muscles ain't everything, sunshine!" teased Ben after tripping him up.

"AGAIN!" The giant heavy beam coming from a distant Kree warship rained down on Ronan a second time. It produced the same effect - lending considerable size to him.

"Ben…" Reed panicked. His best buddy clenched his jaw, "Awww, CRUD…"

There was a noise like a split-second earthquake. "Ben, get up! Get outta there!" shrieked Johnny. They'd all shut their eyes to avoid seeing Ben pancaked.

"Dad! Lend Ben a hand!" Azula alerted.

Ozai looked up to her, but was preoccupied with the returning pain of a major shoulder injury from years past. He hadn't made out a syllable of what she'd said. Suddenly an invisible blade cut at his helmet's base. & slit it off! He fell on his back, squinting with the impact. Diablo bleakly laughed, caressing his precious Potion of Water chalice.

Azula freaked, "No, you don't!"

"Not Dr. O too!" said Johnny.

"No! I've saved the best to _last_, Jonathan!" barked Ozai. The rest had left out his armour's innermost surprise _… _"YAHHHHHHH!" roared Leopard X, just as the alchemist unleashed the fiery beast contained in the Fire chalice. Its power diminished greatly the moment it was in contact with the blue-green ring of the _pericycle_. The blast burned at Diablo with such ferocity, & left him in a perplexed state. He was conked out.

Reed had taken time to notice but shifted back to Ben's battle, "Grandmaster, stop it _please_! Let me take Ben's place." Such was the burden on Mister Fantastic's shoulders. "BEN! Yield. Whatever happens, we'll deal with it! Just stop this - _stay down_!"

More blows from the opposing team coming down on Ben's rocky build. Someone slashed at Ronan's ripped back, cutting into his blue skin. He writhed like an animal in agony would & dragged Ozai off violently. The Thing could barely take or repel the ill-natured beating. To his teammates' horror, his rocky coat now had cracks in a few places. "STAY DOWN!" bellowed a ballooned Ronan, who smashed him into the game board surface, literally.

The assumption that the horrible hunk of a supersized Kree that he'd already triumphed engrossed him, "You've lost. It's OVER! There's nothing you can do to save your friends!" The other members of the FF in particular prepared for an irretrievable loss. Ronan was already cheerfully optimistic, stomping toward the Grandmaster to make his wish. He'd picked up a drained Leopard X & was bent on constricting him in his massive palm. Ozai was heard choking with the force - monster fingers pressing his armour, & armour pressing onto his body.

With helmet stripped off he could not use any lasers. & the _pericycle_ needed time to recharge. & the tail attack…well, it was useless at this point in time. Sweat poured out starting from his forehead & temples.

"Not gonna happen.."

Ronan whirled 180 degrees, finding the presence of that voice far from serviceable. Ben pulled himself up with his leftover strength. Grandmaster prevented Ronan from harming him further, just for the moment.

"_Is that your final decision?"_

"Yeah. Do your worst, Ronan," said Ben.

It was all wretched suspense. The Accuser cackled in echoes before launching a wild fist to finish off the underdog. Or so he thought. Crying out in a war cry fashion, then hit whatever came at him with both pairs of stone knuckles. All he saw was pitch black for a while after.

Then: he stared at his human self. Flexed his fleshy fingers. Reed didn't have to blow up his lab to achieve this.

"_Ben Grimm of Earth: you are victorious! Your team wins the Contest of Champions!" _In Grandmaster's palm, wrapped in a bubble & reverted to his original form, Ronan fought, "NO! I - I was CLEARLY WINNING!" Still, the Elder's judgment could not err.

"_But you requested fair & honourable combat! In all my travels across the universe, never have I found someone with such honour & spirit!_

"_Ben Grimm is a true champion. Say the word & your greatest desire to be human again will be yours."_

A tug-of-war raged in Ben's mind for a while. Facial muscles tensed up, Ben finally released himself from the worst kind of selfish guilt, "Nice try, pal. This is my wish: you're gonna free everyone you've ever taken - starting with my friends." He wanted to show he was boss when it came to that choice. "No one should ever play your games."

"_Very well, human. Your wish is granted." _Grandmaster's countenance looked displeased. The adrenaline ended with his final speech,_ "Know this, champions. The contest will continue, & one day I will call on you again." _The game board, Grandmaster & everyone else but Ozai & himself seemed to melt into space.

"Just don't call collect," Ben lastly warned the Elder before fading.

Ozai was left in the blanket of silence.

"_Leopard X, I see you have something of great importance on your mind."_

"Yes, Grandmaster."

"_Then what wish should the Elders grant you?" _

"That nothing would separate my daughter & I from helping the Fantastic Four. To be there for them & _with_ them no matter what the case." Outwardly it was a wish - inwardly it was a prayer. One of the most fervent of prayers he'd made in ages.

"_Your wish has been granted."_


End file.
